


Bartholomew

by anakidd



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Dogs, Fluff, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:01:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26547949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anakidd/pseuds/anakidd
Summary: Nazuna is forced to take a detour due the heavy rain and finds out something new about Tsumugi.
Relationships: Aoba Tsumugi/Nito Nazuna
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	Bartholomew

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lachla (Moka_961)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moka_961/gifts).



Even though Nazuna checks the report diligently before leaving home every morning, the weather abruptly changed in the small time period he spent at Hajime’s house before heading to the university. He just had to sign a few papers for Ra*bits next live and left with a heavy rain on his shoulders.

Sheltered by the light blue umbrella he borrowed from Hajime, Nazuna decided to take a small detour hoping he could reach the subway faster. He crossed the street and entered a small park, obviously empty at the moment… or almost. 

“Hm?” Nazuna blinked twice, eyebrows furrowing under the impression of hearing a weak cry amidst the strong and constant sound of raindrops. Despite the water wall surrounding him, he couldn’t help but stop walking to make sure and look around… soon finding the source of the very real sound.

“Oh my…” His expression turned into gentle concern as he spotted the black furball holed up under a big tree, trying to shelter itself from the rain the best as possible. However, the leaves and branches weren’t strong enough to protect the dog completely. But no problem, since in a second the light blue umbrella was being shared between both of them, Nazuna crouched gently in front of the dog trying to not scare it.

‘Hey, buddy…” He reached a hand carefully, testing the waters, but found no resistance. The dog immediately licked his fingers, crying quietly before hopping in the warmth of Nazuna’s arm. The boy fumbled a bit, since he was holding the umbrella with the other hand, but accommodated the friend in his lap the best as he could, being looked up by the pair of big caramel eyes.

“Oh my god, you are a cutie… are you lost, little angel?” Nazuna smiled, nuzzling the dog gently and noticing it had no tag or leash, even though it didn’t look mistreated either, despite being wet and trembling at the moment. The fur was trimmed, including the paws and ears, and it wasn’t underweight either.

That would intrigue him a bit if the answer didn’t show up immediately, along with an extra green umbrella suddenly sheltering them both more.

“Nito-kun? That’s a surprise ~” The calm voice of Tsumugi ressoned as soon as Nazuna lifted his head, finding the friendly smile of the fellow idol. “Thank god you found Bartholomew, I came running but the rain was faster than me this morning ♪”

“Bar.. tholomew?” Nazuna repeated, standing up with the dog in his arms. However that didn’t last long, since Bartholomew disengaged in a blink, clumsy little legs kicking and jumping to the blue haired boy instead, landing safely on his chest.

“Whoa, calm down, Bartholomew!” Tsumugi chuckled, nestling him more comfortably and trying to escape the incessant dog kisses Bartholomew was determined to deliver. “You’ll end scratching Nito-kun, that wouldn’t be good ♪”

“I’m fine…” Nazuna was more intrigued by the scene in front of him than anything, almost forgetting the rain. “Nice catch, by the way… is this your dog, Tsumugi-chin?”

“Ah, well…” Tsumugi sighed, looking a bit sad for a hot second before opening a gentle smile again. “I don’t think I can say it… but let’s find us a better sheltered place to talk, hm? Maybe under that closed shop crossing the street.”

Once they were properly settled in there and mostly safe from the rain, even though still in the open, Tsumugi let the dog at his feet for a moment. He crouched, taking a can of wet dog food from his coat and placing it to Bartholomew, that started eating vigorously.

“Time for breakfast… sorry the delay today, Bartholomew ♪” He looked up, finding Nazuna’s curious stare and realizing he was really owning an explanation. “Ah, you see… I built the habit of walking in this park in the morning, it helps with my stamina ♪ Since it’s not that far from NewDi building, it’s practical. And Bartholomew was always there, so we ended up becoming friends… it’s been three weeks, I think.”

“Ah, I see.. so it’s really a stray? He doesn’t seem to be a pure breed after all...” Nazuna asked, crouching again to watch the dog eating. His curled black fur and small size didn’t give hint of what kind of mix it could be, but it was cute nonetheless. “So it's thanks to you he looks so healthy, despite living in the park?”

“D-do you think so?” Tsumugi blushed a bit, taken by surprise by that statement. “It’s true that last week I took him to bath and haircut, and I’ve been feeding him twice a day when I come and return from work... I just couldn’t let him like that, you see? I also built him a dog house last weekend…! Well, Natsume-kun and Sora-kun helped me. Here!”

Tsumugi opened his phone to show Nazuna some pictures, and the blond noticed the wallpaper was also a picture of Switch and the dog together with them. The dog house was sure a sign of their teamwork in blue, yellow and red wood.

“It looks very fancy, Tsumugi-chin ♪ Ah, I guess it’s on the other side of the park? I didn’t see it while walking there, but also the rain was quite a distraction.”

“Yes, I can show it to you when the rain stops… I guess Bartholomew was caught by the rain while far from it, unfortunately. But thanks for having his back ~ ♪ I was dead worried when I opened up my horoscope, since it said the rain could wash away precious things…”

“Hmhm, I also was forced to do a detour today, so I don’t think your luck is that bad now, Tsumugi-chin. Or perhaps it’s Bartholomew-chin’s luck, haha ♪ Maybe his horoscope is better.”

“I sure hope so…!” Tsumugi giggled, wondering that for real. “Ah, sadly I don’t know when he was born, so I can’t check it. Sora-kun also helped me to look for owners in social media, so he has many cute pictures there, but nothing yet… so we believe he’s really a stray without a family to return to… a-ah-?”

Nazuna giggled, watching the dog hop to Tsumugi again as soon as he finished eating, sprawled belly to ask for more pampering and promptly getting it from both of them. 

““That’s unfortunate… but he seems to love you a lot already. And he’s soooo cute, I’m not surprised you adopted him, Tsumugi-chin!!”

“A-adopted? That’s a strong word….. I can’t really take him to the dorms or my family’s home, so I can’t give him a proper home, so I don’t know what to call it.”

“Hmhm, that doesn’t change the fact you’re taking care of him and that’s what a family is about, right? Even if you don’t live under the same roof.”

“... oh. You do have a point, Nito-kun ♪” Tsumugi’s expression brightened, it was really nice to hear that. After all, even living under the same roof his house could barely be considered a family by that standards, so…

“I intend to continue taking care of Bartholomew while I can and not letting him go with just anyone random, so… do you really think it’s fair to call him my family? ♪”

“What did I just say, hm?” Nazuna huffed but smiled, understanding the other’s concern. “And if I can make a guess, I think Bartholomew-chin also agrees, all happy and fancy in your legs.”

“Ahaha ~you’re right, he gets comfortable easily… oh look, the sky is clearing! Do you want to take him to his dog house with me? But ah, aren’t you late for class already? I don’t wanna bother...”

“Nah, no worries. I never skip classes and I already lost the first period anyway, so I can stay a bit more without guilt. I want to see his little house too! ♪”

Returning to the park, Tsumugi placed Bartholomew on the ground and the dog went ahead, running and sniffling the wet grass, sometimes returning to run around the pair and waiting for them to catch up. As soon as the dog house was at sight though, he zoomed inside there like it was surprising to see it again.

“Ahaha ~he has a lot of energy all the time. So here, there you go!”

“Wow Tsumugi-chin!!” Nazuna’s eyes widened as he approached, paying attention to the details and solid structure. The food and water bowls were next to it too along with a toy ball.

“It’s a lot more impressive than the pictures, and bigger too! Ah, there are cute blankets inside too! Ehehe, no wonder he likes to be here ~”

“Ah, do you think so? I’m not sure if it’s legal to just let it here, but…” Tsumugi shrugged, smirking a bit. “It’s not a bad thing, so I don’t think anyone minds, as long as we keep it lowkey.”

“Very smart, Tsumugi-chin. I agree, though ♪ Ah, if you need any help, I’d love to support you and Bartholomew too! And I’m sure the other rabbits feel the same. This park is a nice place I didn’t know before, too...”

“Right, it’s small and calm, so it’s perfect to have peaceful get-togethers. I wouldn’t bother you with dog responsibilities, but I’m sure Bartholomew would like to have more people to play if you want to show up! I’d be calm knowing it’s you and your kids around. ♪” 

Among all options of Ensemble Square, that was certainly one of the safest, after all.

“Ehehe, thank you, Tsumugi-chin. Bunnies are different of course, but I know how taking care of a pet can be hard work, so please let us support Bartholomew too ~♪”

“Oh, thank you, really! Ah, the rain looked bad luck earlier, but now I feel it was a hidden blessing ♪ ”

“Well, maybe Bartholomew is the luck charm you needed ♪ And a loyal friend, too!”

“That would be my biggest luck for sure ~ haha ~ ♪ But now I should dry him before going to work!”

The next saturday, Tsumugi and Nazuna settled a picnic so Hajime, Mitsuru and Tomoya could meet the dog too, along with Natsume and Sora. Even though living in the small park near the subway, there wouldn’t be a shortage of food and company for little Bartholomew with such a big loving family around.

**Author's Note:**

> This was a VERY BELATED gift for my friend Lach, I hope you liked it and that the wait was worth it^^
> 
> Little Bartholomew deserves the whole world!
> 
> Thanks for reading everyone~


End file.
